How to make sense of presidential election data

On By Littum

The 2020 pandemic election had the highest number of early votes ever, with more than 101 million, or 63% of all votes cast. However, beyond 2020, the proportion of early votes has remained stable since 2012, although the number of early votes has increased. In 2012 and 2016, early voting was around 36% of all votes.

This is coming as more states offer more opportunities for people to cast their ballots: In 2000, fewer than half of the states offered early voting, and as of 2024, only three states—Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire— Do not offer in-person early voting.

Although many states have made it easier to vote early, many have also created new identification qualifications for in-person voting.

One way to see how widespread early voting is in a particular state is to compare its most recent early voting numbers to how many people voted there in the 2020 presidential election.

It is important not to misread the early vote numbers or read too much into who has voted so far. There is still time for the numbers to change. And then of course there is election day on Tuesday.